Space / 29 August 2022
We are go for Artemis 1
Set to be the most powerful rocket to ever leave Earth, NASA’s Artemis 1 is on the launchpad at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, waiting to blast off tonight (10.33pm eastern Oz time). It’s getting a lot of attention because it’s big. Artemis 1 comprises of Orion – a 6-person deep-space exploration capsule – which sits on a 98m, 2,600 tonne Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket. And the launch is also big in what it signifies. It’s one of the final steps before humankind’s return to the moon for the first time since 1972. In essence, it’s an uncrewed test flight (except for Snoopy…) which will last 42 days and travel 2,000,000km to almost 65,000km beyond the far side of the moon and back. It’s a forerunner to a planned moon landing by 2 astronauts – including the first woman – by the end of 2025. Thousands of spectators are expected to gather for the launch, and why wouldn’t you?
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